We've both given our thoughts on how achievements are the best thing since sliced bread -- our behavior in the Crackdown Battle is more than enough proof. How have achievements change how you play games? Or are they totally bunk like Ohaple mentioned in his voicemail? Enquiring minds want to know..

Take crackdown for example, i would never have perposefully thrown a body off the highest building, and then rocketed it if it wernt for the achievements. But so far, im laging behind in them, - i only have 2 games i play so i guess thats pretty good, one of these days im gona get round to completing oblivion.

One thing that pains me, i switched gamertags, and thus i lost all my achievements, i had 900 before and ive completed one game in seperate parts if i had all the achevements, i guess id be at about 1500 by now :(

It's definitely affected me, too. I like games with the creative achievement points, like Dead Rising, that encourage you to think or play in nontraditional ways. They're also cool for comparing myself to friends and what they've played.

And no question about it, even if I had all of the next gen machines, for multiplatform games I'd pick the 360 version just for the achievements.

If I had a Xbox 360 which I will in the summer, This is what most attracted me XBL. This also makes it a big competition to get the most points, and competitions are always fun especially when you crush someones head in ;)

Its made me play games alot more, before once i had finished the game that was it i was done with it. It wud either stay in my room picking up dust or ad trade it in, now i play through the game and then when i have finished it i go back and achievement whore to the max.

Awesome Episode guys, I was laughing out load at some bits, especially Yuzo's sour face.

Anyway Achievement points - totally enhance the games, not only do you have the normal gaming experiance but you also have a new way to share your gaming experiance, whether it's simply hitting the guide button as soon as you hear that magic click to see whether your friend has unlocked that one, or competing such as the iron gamer challenges you guys run.

Not only that it makes you WANT to explore your games a bit more deeply, where as before you may of skimmed over a certain aspect now it makes you want to go there , do that, get the achievment and maybe you'll see a part of the game that you wouldn't of normally.

And the best thing is, if achievment points dont HAVE to matter to you for the game, but i havnt met anyone who hates them.

It's tough explaining the addiction of Achievment points to non 360 owners too, i guess once it works it magic its there.

Achievement points DO change how I play games. I think the ideal type of achievement list is one that you get very few points for doing things in the story, and most of the achievements should be apart from that, making you play the game a different way, or get deeper into other parts.

There IS a limit though. For instance, Perfect Dark Zero...a couple achievements for playing a THOUSAND games of deathmatch/darkops? It's hard to draw a line between what's a chore and what they intended. This achievement will be unlocking for the people in college who have PDZ parties often, after a year or so. So, it's a tossup.

As far as how I play they game it really doesn't change the way I play. I don't feel the rush you all feel to get more points faster. I would be one of those non-competitve people you talked about. It's not cause I don't enjoy thrashing someone, because believe me that is one of the best things about video games; the I'm better at this than you aspect. However, I just don't have the time anymore, or the interest. As I get older I keep realizing how more important my time is. At the same time, I will always reserve a few hours a week to playing games, so I look for longevity. Another reason I like crackdown, I just waltz in play for an hour or two and then shuttle off to whatever. You all burned out in 5 days, this game will last me a month. :shock: I don't know if that is good, but I won't buy another game until Shadowrun, so my wallet is happy.

On the flip side, it may not create this point frenzy for me; it does in fact open my eyes to what could be done without getting some crappy overpriced ccheatbook. This also makes my wallet happy and gives me more of a sense of accomplishment. I know that it's there and it is up to me to get it. The change is minor, but definately noteworthy.

As far as how I play they game it really doesn't change the way I play. I don't feel the rush you all feel to get more points faster. I would be one of those non-competitve people you talked about. It's not cause I don't enjoy thrashing someone, because believe me that is one of the best things about video games; the I'm better at this than you aspect. However, I just don't have the time anymore, or the interest. As I get older I keep realizing how more important my time is. At the same time, I will always reserve a few hours a week to playing games, so I look for longevity. Another reason I like crackdown, I just waltz in play for an hour or two and then shuttle off to whatever. You all burned out in 5 days, this game will last me a month. :shock:

Done with a game in 5 days never to be played again is HARSH, I'd want to make my crack last :) at least until Guitar Hero II is released.

Anyway I don't ever feel in a rush to go out and get the achievment points, it just very satisfying to get them. Give you something to aim for and they help get the longevity out of these games. As I get older I find I dont do as many marathon gameing sessions as I used to though - it makes me cry :''(.

[quote=quahgg]As far as how I play they game it really doesn't change the way I play. I don't feel the rush you all feel to get more points faster. I would be one of those non-competitve people you talked about. It's not cause I don't enjoy thrashing someone, because believe me that is one of the best things about video games; the I'm better at this than you aspect. However, I just don't have the time anymore, or the interest. As I get older I keep realizing how more important my time is. At the same time, I will always reserve a few hours a week to playing games, so I look for longevity. Another reason I like crackdown, I just waltz in play for an hour or two and then shuttle off to whatever. You all burned out in 5 days, this game will last me a month. :shock:

Done with a game in 5 days never to be played again is HARSH, I'd want to make my crack last :) at least until Guitar Hero II is released.[/quote]

Yeah that was my main complaint this week about Crackdown. Playing something for 5 days is WAY too short, even if i was putting in several hours a day. Games need more depth than that.

Well the first thing I noticed was that in a game like The elder scrolls oblivion, you got more compelled to actually finish a lot more of the game than "Just" the main quest, which is actually rather short. And in fx Geometry wars it has become addicting like hell as it makes quite a big impact on other gamers.

And I guess achievements for Xbox 360 gives gamers the same experience, as getting epic items and armour gives a World of Warcraft player.

WOW: "WOOW, look at this shiiiney, armour with this epic purple glow! THAT IS AWESOME it took me 20+ hours of grinding to get!"

Xbox360: "Look, at these nice things I did in Crackdown, and look at that I have beaten GoW on insane"

- It is a seriously nice scrapbook, of the games that you have been enjoying and it makes you enjoy them even more in my opinion.

I havn't got an 360 .. but.. when my mate has his console over. Me and another mate started to play Gears of War together and i saw the achievment thing and for some stupid reason i felt so happy i think its becuase it rewards you for doing something so you have 2 kinds of rewarding with 360 i see... one you complete the game and have that satisfaction and then number 2 is the achievments its deffinatly going to make my ps3 gaming better when they bring out there own 3d Mii and Achievments system "PlayStation Home"...

Depending on the game achievement points do affect the way i play games,an example of this,from my point of view,is test drive unlimited.i love racing games and collecting all the different types of cars,winning all the races,driving on all the roads etc. for points does appeal to me but it dosent take you out of the core of the game

Gears of war on the other hand has these stupid cogs you have to collect,i mean when your running around,diving of cover,trying not to be killed,having to look for a bloody necklace really takes me out of the game because they dont affect the game,they are there solely for the porpose of getting points.

Gears of war on the other hand has these stupid cogs you have to collect,i mean when your running around,diving of cover,trying not to be killed,having to look for a bloody necklace really takes me out of the game because they dont affect the game,they are there solely for the porpose of getting points.

I totally see where you are coming from.

But, I did like the way most games (GoW included) did at least attempt to make the achievement blend in with the game with the bits about "for the fallen" comments and what-not, so that does add to the ambience of the achievement. Also, as far as dodging and covering during the game, I didn't find myself really going for those achievements until after I had gone through the campaign once or twice, and even then it was while helping friends get them and specifically going through the chapters one by one with the guide book to find them. All in all I think I did the campaign 5 times on insane just for that purpose---helping friends with THAT achievement AND the basic complete the campaign on insane/hardcore.

I guess I'll have to agree with Tobin and the rest that even though it boils down to the fact that I'm a gamerscore hog (or whore as some would call it lol) achievements DO make you get more out of your game rather than running through it once or maybe even twice and then that's it. But then again I buy most of my games for the multiplayer aspect for the exact same reasons so six of one and half a dozen of another. :D

i think achievements has changed how we play in a good way and a bad way.

first of all it gives a healthy and fun competition for you and your friends. It also makes you play more of the game and thats always good.

a bad thing about achievements is that its almost like some people dont play the game for fun and just achievements and i think thats kinda dumb. like if we had never ever heard of them i think that we would play games for fun. I also think we would have more fun playing them too.

It's true, when it's done well. A good example of it not done well is Condemned, where you're collecting birds for no reason in the middle of a horror game.[/quote]

You bastard, stop harping on Condemned! It wasn't HORRIBLE in Condemned...finding those birds forced you to scout out a terrifying area that you wanted to be gone from, so I wouldn't use that as an example. Hell, there's so much better examples to use. 2k6 games. King Kong. Hell even my beloved Samurai Warriors 2 had shitty achievements. Like I said before, I'd like to finish the game and MAYBE get like...one or two during, and all the rest are dependant on how you play the game from then on.

Let's use Oblivion as an example. Not GREAT achievements, though it does force you to play through all guilds, but couldn't they have adjusted some of them? Use 1000 healing spells, for instance, or kill 100 innocents without getting arrested? Reach 95 in a particular skill? They really could have done so much better. Break 100 weapons? Find ALL caves? Man, wasted potential the more I think about it.

I don't have a 360 but my neighbor does i got him more Achievements then he has god its the funnest thing ever. you go look the achievements and its like OMG i got to do this i replay everything to get MORE

I agree with quahgg on this one. The achievements has really not changed my way of playing. I don't play that much due to all the stuff you got to do when you're an adult (cook your own food, wash your clothes and so on...) and I do the achievements that's easy and somewhat fun to do like the body juggler one in Crackdown but I wouldn't bother with getting all 300 hidden orbs or complete all car races weather it gives me achievement points or not.

The main reason for this I think is that I don't have any mates with 360's to really compete with. Also I really value my free time at home and I would never do something that I didn't think is fun, like getting stupid pointless achievements just for the sake of getting the points.